Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I just moderated a wonderful Friday night movie series for St. Andrew's United Church in Toronto that corresponded with the season of Lent. Along with host Day Merrill (a great life/career coach and friend) and Rev. Mark MacLean we chose 7 empowering films about redemption and had inspiring group discussions afterwards. The venue was like a cozy rec room filled with comfy, cushy sectionals for about 20 attendees.

After each film we would talk about which characters experienced some form of redemption. Some people just shared what touched them about the movie. It was also a joy watching these films with people seeing them for the very first time. As always, I discovered a personal golden nugget of inspiration from each of the 7 movies.

The Shawshank Redemption 1994

This movie is one of my all time favourites and it still inspires me every time I see it. What I discovered was the joy of seeing this film with a small intimate group of movie lovers. The shared experience was exciting and actually mirrors one of the themes in the movie that other people can make life much more enjoyable.

Invictus 2009

This movie still amazes me that it is based on a true story. One of the many scenes I loved was at the final rugby game where 2 of the bodyguards who hated each other at first (one was white the other black) almost hugged each other when their team won. A funny and inspiring moment that differences can be overcome.

Witness 1985

Always loved the building of the barn scene and how the Amish welcomes Harrison Ford’s character because he was a skilled carpenter. In real life Ford was a carpenter before becoming an actor. It was inspiring to see art imitating life. Plus the lush, country scenery took me away for awhile!

Leap of Faith 1992

I saw this film for the first time during this series and loved it. There was a scene that moved me where Steve Martin's character tells a disabled boy this inspiring line, "Everybody's a loser one of these days. Trick is not acting like a loser." It's a powerful message for anyone feeling hopeless or held back.

Life as a House 2001

I saw this for the first time in this series and did not expect how powerfully moving it would be. An audience member said it was a "2 tissue box" movie! For me it was a big mirror for my life on several levels. Familiar themes came up about tearing down an old house (old fears, anger) and building a new one with the help of people who care (see tip#400). The next day I experienced a profound release of emotion (see tip#446)

What Dreams May Come 1998

This movie gets better and better every time I see it. Some of the audience found it exhausting and it is a long movie with a multitude of themes like soul mates, the afterlife and reincarnation. In the discussion there were several people visibly emotional and I started to think that these movie nights could be cathartic. People could attend just to have a good cry.

The Last Temptation of Christ 1988

At the time of its initial release this movie was highly controversial. Depicting Jesus as an ordinary man with the same fears as anyone else inspired some of the audience members. One fact I discovered and shared with the group was the strange and final shot where all these bright colours come onto the screen. Director, Martin Scorsese said that light leaked into camera exposing the film just as Jesus closes his eyes and dies. Serendipity or divine intervention? You decide! See: Final shot on Youtube

Seeing movies with others can be a powerful experience. Personal insights can arise or an emotional release can occur. And when there is a group discussion afterwards people can discover more epiphanies about the film they just saw.

Next time you see a movie with a group, talk about the thoughts and feelings that come up. You could be helping one another to break through current challenges you are facing!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Dogma: the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or by extension by some other group or organization

As I write this it is early morning on Easter Sunday. For some, it is a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ. For others, it's a time for eating chocolate Easter eggs. I prefer indulging in the highly addictive Cadbury Mini Eggs. That's my ritual of preference.

Sadly for some, unexpected events will alter their perception of Easter time forever. I have a close friend who just lost his Uncle on Good Friday. It was also his birthday. I lost my father just before Christmas years ago. Christmas has always been very different since. Things just happen to change how we see life during holidays.

The fantasy comedy Dogma is about an abortion clinic worker Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) who is asked to help save the world by the angel Metatron (Alan Rickman). Her task was to stop two fallen angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon) from destroying all of existence. The movie has a star-studded cast that also includes Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, George Carlin and Alanis Morissette as God.

The film brings up many different thoughts that question religious beliefs in humorous and insightful scenes. It challenged so many established belief systems, like the Catholic church, that the movie was controversial upon release. Writer/director/actor Kevin Smith received over 300,000 pieces of hate mail. I invite you to see this movie and see what you think. See: movie trailer

Preferences

Unexpected change ultimately causes each of us to question our established beliefs. At Easter time there may be thoughts of religious beliefs or on the passing of a loved one. For others it will be to simply indulge in biting the ears off a big chocolate bunny. Some prefer biting the tail off first.

Let's all just get along and respect a person's free will and choice to bite off the ears or tail off first from a chocolate bunny. The world would be such a better and loving place!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I love doing movie nights at a friend's home. Sometimes we'd watch a movie that was deeply inspiring and motivating while other times we'd enjoy some mindless movie fun. Sometimes we just wanted to escape from reality into a silly celluloid story.

Recently, one of my friends and I wanted to clear our heads of a stressful week and together we chose 2 ideal films to see. So after a delicious home cooked meal we each crashed on our favourite couches (he has 2!) and with drinks in hand switched on the big flat screen TV and cranked up the epic sound system!

The movie Knight and Day is a romantic action comedy starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz with exotic locations from around the world. All you REALLY need to know is Tom Cruise is doing a funny parody of himself from his other action movies! Fun, silly and even the action sequences are cartoon-like. Plus both stars look really good even though you may be wondering what kind of plastic surgery or botox they've each had in their close-ups!

The movie Ninja Assassin is a martial arts film produced by the Wachowski brothers who brought us The Matrix movies. It stars a South Korean pop star named Rain. All you REALLY need to know is this film is a juicy gore fest of blood and limbs being sliced off in visually stunning ways. Very, very comic bookish and yet it also has a pretty good story underneath. You'll find it in between the times you are gasping and laughing at how over the top the violence is!

Did these mindless movies have value? Absolutely! My friend and I had lots of fun, laughed out loud and all our stress vanished for the rest of the evening. I highly prescribe a mindless movie once in awhile.

What movie helped you escape from life for awhile?

What films have helped you escape your daily grind? Do comedies, action-adventure or romantic films do the trick? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I have fond memories as a child of my Dad and Mom talking about a racehorse named Secretariat. I remember looking at that odd name in the newspaper (can a horse be a secretary?!) and that my parents were excited about this amazing, true story. It would only be decades later that I'd learn more about this wonder horse and the woman who was his courageous owner through the magic of a movie.

Based on a true story, the movie Secretariat is about housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) who takes over her ailing father's horse stables despite her lack of experience. With the help of trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and other key people Chenery guided a horse named Secretariat to the unbeatable record win of the 1973 Triple Crown. See: movie trailer

It was inspiring to see such a strong willed woman take on the male dominated business of horse racing. She was so passionate in her faith in Secretariat that she even fought against her own husband and brother's demands to sell the horse. Chenery even refused an offer to buy the horse for $8 million dollars. She demonstrates great courage and leadership qualities throughout the film!

“This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run.”

What moved me the most was the metaphor in following a dream in life through the method of how Secretariat would win each race. He would leave the starting gate in last place and stay there for 3/4's of the race. Then with incredible speed and power Secretariat would explode with energy and fly like lightening past the other horses in the final 1/4.This is an inspiring idea for anyone who feels they are late in their lives to achieve their dreams or goals. It is never too late!

What movies about amazing, true stories inspire you?

There are many movies based on true stories like Invictus, Rudy, Julie & Julia, The King's Speech and Erin Brockovich. These stories of real women and men can motivate you to be the best you can be at work and in life. What films have inspired you? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

I was very excited to see the author of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, give a lecture recently at Roy Thomson Hall. She was surprisingly witty and a very engaging storyteller. And I didn't mind that the 2,000+ audience were mostly women. Gilbert jokingly addressed that there were at least 7 other guys in the room!

Gilbert shared many intriguing stories such as how she cured her writer's block by focusing on something completely different like gardening. She shared how much she loved Javier Bardem playing her husband in the Eat Pray Love film and jokingly referred to him as her real-life husband. Gilbert also shared that she worked for years on writing magazine articles and other books prior to the success of Eat Pray Love. Goes to show that she has been honing her writing skills for years before the world celebrated the success of Eat Pray Love.

"Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."
Thomas Edison

Hanna 2011

The movie Hanna is about at 16 year old girl named Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) trained since she was born to be an assassin by her father Erik (Eric Bana). She is fluent in several languages, skilled at stocking and hunting animals and incredibly skilled at hand to hand combat. She lived with her father in an isolated shack allowing her to train for years to excel in all her skill sets.

I was stunned at how riveting and original the storytelling was in this movie. There is one amazing scene that leads to a fight sequence with Erik that is just one single camera take. And seeing Hanna continually display how skilled she was inspired me. It reminded me that any success comes from long practice and training. Just like Gilbert's book Eat Pray Love she developed her skills for years before this book achieved global success.

What movies inspire you about developing a skill set?

Movies like Rocky, The Karate Kid and Julie & Julia are about the importance of developing specific skills. What movies inspire you? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Without any clear reasons, I was extremely unfocused and sluggish this week. And with many new movie releases I could have seen I was very compelled to see Soul Surfer. So I trusted my gut and saw an early Saturday matinee at the AMC Yonge & Dundas Theatres. Something unusual and unexpected then happened.

Throughout the movie I found myself weeping. There was something indefinable about several scenes that triggered me deep inside. Tearful emotions just kept coming to the surface. All I know was the film's beautiful scenery of Hawaii took me away, I was very inspired AND I had a good cry. By the end of the movie I felt so much lighter and walked out into the gorgeous sunshine of the early afternoon.

Soul Surfer 2011

The movie Soul Surfer is based on the true story of a teenage surfer girl finding the courage to go back into the ocean and surf after losing an arm in a shark attack. Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) showed much determination and faith as she copes with having one arm. Her passion for surfing and her family and friends helped Bethany stay positive and energized during a challenging journey.

The movie is filled with many inspirational quotes and Bethany's story helped transform my sluggish mindset. By trusting my intuition I was led to the perfect movie to help lift me up. In the end this film allowed me a deep, soulful and satisfying release from the heaviness I was experiencing.

What movie has moved you to tears?

Is there a movie that moved you to tears? Do you have a favourite movie you know will always give you a good cry? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Here is another in a string of new theatrical releases I've found to be extremely motivating. The latest is called Source Code and is a thought-provoking story addressing my passion for alternate reality concepts and exploring quantum realities. It also has a powerful, repetitive message that says: Everything is going to be okay.

Source Code 2011

The movie Source Code is about US soldier Capt. Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of another man riding a commuter train. After it explodes Stevens discovers that it is his mission to keep repeating the train ride until he uncovers the bomb and the bomber.

This film is a cross between Groundhog Day and Inception which are among my favourite movies. They can both entertain AND get your mind percolating on new ways of viewing life and alternate realities. They can also help you see the repetitive situations you keep experiencing in a whole new light.

What unfolds in Source Code are intriguing questions like "What would you do if you had one minute to live?" or if you knew you could change your life for the better would you take action to do it? This movie speaks so much of my mindset to always remember that it IS POSSIBLE to change the negative circumstances of whatever I face.

I truly believe that repetition of positive thinking, words and affirmations are key to keeping you motivated. The posts of this blog may seem repetitive to some readers and yet, for someone feeling stuck, may find a golden nugget to lift them up and put a smile on their face again. Imagine someone feeling down and seeing the title of this blog post: Everything is going to be okay.

What is something positively repetitive that you do?

Do you subscribe to daily online affirmations or motivational quotes? Are there any positive statements you say to yourself regularly? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

The purpose of this blog has been to provide empowering movie tips AND to be what blogs stand for which is a web log or a personal online diary. So I've been documenting the ups and downs of my life and career including the emotional roller coaster ride of the past year (see tip#400). These days I've been feeling incredibly free and extremely grateful for all the help and support I received.

I recently did a movie night with a friend going through his own intense life challenges and he surprised me by choosing Toy Story 3 as the film to see. We ended up being deeply moved at the key lessons the movie mirrored for what I had gone through AND the adversities my friend was now facing:

• Letting go: old life and belongings
• Loyalty: friends and family that help with challenges
• Abandonment: people who were not there to help
• Bullies: people who imposed their will

The animated movie Toy Story 3 is part 3 of the series where the toy characters are mistakenly delivered to a day-care centre instead of the attic right before their owner Andy (John Morris) leaves for college. It's up to Woody (Tom Hanks) to help the other toys escape the day-care centre and stand up to the evil toys forcing them to stay.

What unfolds are how the toy characters learn: to let go of the life they knew; to renew their sense of loyalty to one another; to deal with feeling abandoned; to deal with bullies. Andy himself learns how to let go of the toys he loved so much as a child.

The ending packed so much of an emotional wallop that I could finally understand why it was nominated for both Best Animated Feature AND Best Picture having won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. I was stunned at how emotional I got seeing Andy learn to let go of his past and his belongings. Watching this film was like a healing and an exciting confirmation that I was on the right path.

What is a favourite animated film of yours?

Have you been moved by the power of an animated movie? Is there an animated character that touched your heart? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below OR click on the blog title above and scroll to bottom.

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About Me

Emmanuel Lopez aka Motivatorman is a Motivational Speaker and an award-winning Blogger & Illustrator working with organizations to inspire RESILIENCE & INDESTRUCTIBLE OPTIMISM for DEPRESSION, MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS through the power of movies. He has been featured in The NEW YORK TIMES, The WASHINGTON POST and The GLOBE & MAIL.
Speaker Clients: TD Canada Trust, Investors Group, The Art Institute of Boston and Royal Ontario Museum.
For info on speaker bookings see: www.motivatorman.com